


The Birds Are Singing

by orphan_account



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Flash Fic, One Shot, implied transgender character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:14:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23156146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Marina recalls living in the city and thinks about how much better her life is down south.Same universe as "What Truly Is Forbidden"
Relationships: Marina/Pearl (Splatoon)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	The Birds Are Singing

**Author's Note:**

> I woke up this morning and I heard the birds singing for the first time since winter and my brain was like "oh my gods you gotta write" so I did  
> This is just another one-shot flash-fic, hope you enjoy!

-

In the morning when Marina woke up, the birds were singing again.

It had been months since the octoling had heard the calls of songbirds in the morning. It was so sudden hearing them all at once, especially after a long winter of quiet mornings. Spring had finally come to the mountains.

Marina recalled living out in the city for a while, when she'd wake to the distant sounds of traffic and cars speeding by. Even on summer days before the sun rose, there weren't any natural noises to fill her ears. This never upset her much at the time, though she always felt a sense of longing. For what, she was unsure. 

-

Down in the square’s coffee shop one afternoon, Marina’s friends Kai and Bailey had been chatting about a trip they took out of town, down south to the mountains.

“Marley,” Bailey started, pulling her out of her thoughts, “you should come with us next time!”

Until that moment she hadn't really been paying attention, as she was typing idly on her laptop. “Maybe,” she had replied, raising a hand to readjust one of her shorter tentacles as she gazed back down at her computer.

There was a small pause in the conversation before Kai spoke up. “Did you hear the song I played?” 

Before Marina responded, Bailey answered, “I doubt it, he’s just been staring at his computer this whole time.”

Marina’s foot tapped the ground as she tensed up, but she just continued watching her laptop screen.

“Here, you should listen to this,” the other said with a smile as he pulled out his phone. As soon as the video was pulled up and started, he’d shoved it in Marina's face at practically full volume. At first she wasn't interested and just ducked down a bit, still typing. But after a moment she lifted her head slightly and let her hands go still, glancing up at the phone.

How could she even describe this? 

A large crowd had gathered around a small wooden stage in the middle of a lively square, cheering and shouting along with a song that a band was playing. The two singers practically had to scream the lyrics to be heard over the crowd, yet they danced happily around eachother as the words escaped their mouths. And as Marina listened, she couldn't pick out a single word. Her eyes flicked around the scenery, and she couldn't read the names for any of the shops either. But after a moment she found herself focusing on the beautiful green of mountains in the distance, and the birds that were flying over the crowd. It felt so strangely enticing, and she didn't stop her hands from closing her laptop and taking the phone carefully from her friend.

Marina watched and listened while her short tentacles bounced along with the beats of the music, and when the song came to a close she reached for the button to replay it. However, before she got the chance, her friend pulled the phone away and stuck it back in his pocket.

“Isn't that amazing, Marley?” he spoke, smiling at Marina. “I wish we had crazy things like that happen in the city…”

“Life just feels dull here after that trip,” Bailey spoke, her voice almost sorrowful. “I wanna go back already!”

“Then why don't you?” Marina responded softly.

“He's interested!” Kai piped up, smiling widely. “Finally, something got you off that laptop!”

Marina wasn't quite sure how to respond. “It looks pretty cool down south, more so than I expected…”

“You should totally come next time!” Kai enthused. “We can show you everything, the food, the music-” 

“The nature! That's the best part, in my opinion,” Bailey chimed in with a grin. 

“Well then,” Marina started slowly, “when’s next time?”

-

As Marina stared out the window, watching the birds, she remembered arriving in the mountains for the first time. All the birds, all the trees, all the flowers. All the creeks that ran through the forests. The music in the square outside the moonshine stores. The stars at night, no longer hidden away behind layers of buildings and light pollution. It always filled her with a happiness that she had never known in the city, a sense of independence that she never knew she could feel.

Perhaps that was why she had stayed, moved down here and started a new life. 

But she knew what mattered most wasn't that.

It was that lovely spring morning, listening to the birds singing as she sat on one of the highest lookouts in the state, strumming away on her guitar as she hummed and sang along with the tune. It was the morning an older inkling had sat down a few yards away from her, watching the sunrise. It was the morning when Marina had her first listener, who’d been so interested in her language and her music that she'd sat with her for hours. It was the morning when Marina first felt truly accepted by anyone, the morning she had first felt truly happy.

It was the morning she had met Pearl.

-

**Author's Note:**

> I might wanna expand on this universe some more in the future, I dunno I like it  
> Thanks for reading, hope ya have a wonderful morning/afternoon/night!


End file.
